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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
50«
Irene ranks as year’s top story
Storm spawned
three in the top 10
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Like all the years that
preceded and those to fol
low, 2011 in Edenton-Chow
an experienced its share of
newsworthy milestones.
But, where there’s a
storm, a rainbow can just
as easily counter. And that
was often the case here.
For every setback suffered,
bright news usually fol
lowed.
Some stories are simply
shocking or so bizarre that
they warrant our immedi
ate attention - those that we
can’t look away. Of course,
there are stories that elate
or inspire us, feel good arti
cles that instill hope. Then,
there are stories that cause
anger or sadness. Regard
less, most leave a lasting
impact.
Significant stories typi
caUy have legs, or stories
that tend to linger or pro
vide a ripple effect that
spawns others. This year’s
top story was one such ex
ample, producing three
of the year’s top 10 stories
published in the Chowan
Herald.
No. 1 - Irene lashes del
uge, high winds
What is sure to be this
year’s top story for numer
ous newspapers also marks
the Chowan Herald’s big
gest news story of the year.
Thankfully, no one was
injured here in the nation
ally captivating storm and
, while Irene did not wreak
nearly as much as damage
as in some neighboring
counties, Edenton-Chowan
did not totally escape the
storm’s wrath either.
For days, residents, busi
nesses and government of
ficials planned and braced
for the Category 2 Hurri
cane that churned offshore
in the Atlantic before wob
bling inland with Irene’s
eye eventually crossing
over Edenton-Chowan Aug.
27. With sustained winds
of roughly 65 mph and 11
inches of rain, the area
sustained wind and water
damages from an 8-foot
storm surge. Trees fell'and
waters flooded en route to
days, and in some instanc
es weeks, of recovery and
repair.
. Thousands were without
electricity from a storm
that despite being down
graded to a tropical storm
by the time it arrived here,
damaged 143 homes and
five businesses.
Perhaps, the storm’s
most devastated victims
were area farmers. Wind
and soggy fields severely
damaged crops, or the coun
ty’s chief economic engine.
Projections showed that
Irene costs county farmers
$5.6 million. Cotton fared
the worst, particularly
with what many thought to
be the finest crop in recent
memory.
No. 2 - Chowan fires
county manager
Less than one year after
county commissioners nar
rowly decided to remove
the interim tag from his ti
tle of county manager and
give him the permanent
job, the board voted to fire
Paul Parker on Sept. 6 for
“failure to meet expecta
tions.”
The first-time manager
opted to bolt his duties
and leave town while Hur
ricane Irene was bearing
down on Edenton:Chowan
02009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
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I . I -> ■
» - ■. • ‘1
RLE PHOTOS
Hurricane Irene lashed the areg with high winds and deluge. Emergency workers had to rescue stranded motorists, as seen here.
when the area was under
a state of emergency. With
commissioners and county
employees working around
the clock to ensure taxpay
ers’ safety Parker returned
to Pender County where
his wife still lived in the
home they shared before he
was hired.
No. 3 - COA, Walker
alumni spar ... compro
mise
In what seemingly be
came a political hot potato
with all stakeholders look
ing for someone else to take
unpopular action, College
of The Albemarle officials
and the D.F. Walker Alumni
Association reached an
amicable truce while coun
ty leaders watched from a
ringside seat.
Efforts to cut expenses by
prompted county commis
sioners to begin its prop
erty consolidation plans by
forcing COA to relocate its
campus from the Edenton
Village Shopping Center
to the former D.E Walker
school. The move would
save taxpayers $250,000 an
nually by eliminating a
lease in favor of COA occu
pying county-owned prop
erty.
To do so, however, meant
displacing Walker alumni
from its meeting venue,
held there in part because
of the former African
American school’s history
during segregated educa
tion. The alumni group in
terpreted the displacement
as another slight of racial
injustice at the hands of
a county government that
keeps reneging from prior
commitments.
Instead, COA was forced
to do the dirty work since
commissioners kept insist
ing that the two entities set
tle their differences. COA
wanted complete control of
the campus so it could pro
ceed to lay its foundation
for an optimistic future for
both black and white stu
dents.
Walker Alumni thought
COA to be greedy since it
required every nook of the
defunct school, especially a
meeting room used to cel
ebrate Walker’s heritage.
In the end, both parties
decided to compromise.
COA got control amid a
contractual agreement that
the Alumni keep an area re
served for meetings.
No. 4 - Census: Eden
ton population shrinks;
town disputes
According to the 2010
U.S. Census, Edenton’s
population is shrinking.
Collected data revealed
that the town’s population
decreased by 390 residents,
or 7.23 percent. The drop
from 5,394 residents in 2000
to 5,004 in 2010, marked the
state's only local munici
pality to decline over the
last decade. Already sting
ing from a sour economy
. ... *
Edenton celebrates its win against Northeastern.
local merchants becanfc in f*
creasingly concerned about
commerce in a town with a
decreasing population.
But, town officials dis
pute the Census tally sug
gesting some new neighbor
hoods were not accurately
included. It’s not the first
time U.S. Census has erred
with Edenton data. In 2000,
Census reported the town’s
population as too high after
workers counted dormi
tory residents at Chowan
University as Edenton resi
dents. Adding insult to in
jury, U.S. Census then used
the incorrect 2000 data for
comparison in 2010.
State demographers re
port Edenton’s population
to be 5,166, or a 2.2 percent
increase. Meanwhile, Cen
sus data shows Chowan
County’s population grew
by 267 residents, or 1.84 per
cent.
No. 5 - Almost...Aces’
return to gridiron prom
inence
After a long dry spell
for a high school once re
nowned for its gridiron
prowess, the Edenton Aces
stunned football fans with
a sudden resurgence un
der second-year coach Wes
Mattera. Edenton finished
11-1 after a narrow third
round 2A playoff loss to
eventual state champ Tar
boro, which claimed its
third straight state title.
Despite the heartbreak
ing loss, the Aces finished
as Northeastern Coastal
Confefthigk champions
with an undefeated regular
season record. Even when
fans thought the win streak
would come to an end, the
team shocked fans with in
credible come-from-behind
victories, including an 80
yard drive with 1:17 left to
play en route to a 20-17 vic
tory against last year’s con
ference champ and state
runner-up Northeastern.
No. 6 - Bats force 11 to
undergo rabies shots
Hurricane Irene spun
another major story in 2011
when it was discovered that
a bat-infested D.E Walker
gym used as an emergency
pet shelter during the storm
led to 11 people having to
undergo a series of rabies
vaccinations and 15 dogs
quarantined for six months
- all at county expense.
At least one puppy sub
sequently died under quar
antine after it contracted
Parvo while being housed
at the Tri-County Animal
Shelter.
State law required the
action after it was learned
that bats swarmed the gym
after dark and could have
bitten either the people or
pets While they slept.
Failure to follow set rules
and a breakdown in com
munication contributed to
the embarrassing debacle,
especially when it was
learned that the infestation
had been going on for some
time and to the knowledge
other county employees.
During that time, the gym
had been used routinely
for children’s recreational
activities.
No. 7 - What a bum
mer
Only a year removed
from tiie possibility of dis
solving amid financial un
certainty, the community
rallied with its support and
the Edenton Steamers re
sponded with a record-set
ting season in the Coastal
Plain League. Although the
Steamers appeared to be a
lock for another Petitt Cup
championship, they came
up one game short to fall to
the Gastonia Grizzlies. The
Steamers took a one game
lead at Gastonia before re
turning to the friendly con
fines of Hicks Field where
they needed to win only one
of two games. Instead, the
CPL’s best-hitting, highest
scoring team went cold and
dropped two straight.
Nonetheless, it was a fab
ulous season to remember
with the Steamers record
ing its winningest season
in team history. The Steam
ers won 10 more games (44)
than any other team in the
CPL this season, claiming
both the first- and second
half division titles. They
led the league in a host of
categories - including team
batting and team pitching
- and broke more than a
dozen franchise records,
most notably the single sea
son victory mark of 39, set
PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
Kandi Deitemeyer, (left) College of the Albemarle president, stands left of Douglas Stallings, D.F.
Walker Alumni Association president, at the podium before the Chowan County Board of Com
missioner, March 21. ^
back in 2005 when they last
won the championship.
No. 8 - Personnel
moves
While County Manager
Paul Parker’s firing ranks
as the most significant
personnel move during
2011, there were a few more
worthy of listing. On the
same day (Nov. 10) that
the Chowan County Board
of Commissioners voted
unanimously to hire Bertie
County Manager Zee Lamb
as Parker’s successor, the
board also voted to fire its
finance director. Lisa Jones
was fired for failure to per
form her assigned duties,
thereby ending her 26 years
as a county employee. Jones
was one of the few remain
ing staffers from the Cliff
Copeland administration.
She was serving as Co
peland’s finance director
when the then county man
ager guided Chowan to the
brink of bankruptcy and
state takeover in 2008.
In other personnel
moves, Chowan lost its tax
administrator after the Lo
cal Governmental Employ
ees’ Retirement System
concluded that Gene Roun
tree had been working as a
county employee and not a
contractor. The state ruled
that he had been double
dipping, earning com
pensation from the very
system while paying him
retirement benefits.
Edentonhired anewplan
ner in Katy Van Doninck.
Edenton Fire Chief Char
lie Westbrook retired at
the end of October after 40
years of service.
No. 9 - Downtown
lands new businesses
Still sloshing through
a downtrodden economy,
Edenton’s downtown dis
trict has been riddled with
store closings. Two vacant
storefronts will soon be oc
cupied. Although neither
has opened the new loca
tions for 2011, both have
: signed contracts and the
moves are pending.
A Sears Home Store is
expected to open sometime
next month, filling the for
mer Edenton Furniture
Store that closed last year.
Plans call for Creswell
Furniture to move a new
location into the former
Super 10 building.
Both represent welcome
news for a downtown that
has sustained the loss of
businesses due to the econo
my and in a county that has
reverted to a Tier 1 status,
or among the state’s most
economically distressed.
Bank of America closed
a downtown branch and
Cheros, a popular water
front eatery, shut its doors
in 2011. Griggs Lumber also
closed, but the town added
Kellogg Building Supply
No. 10 - Fund balance
reaches $3.5 million
While it’s not a milestone
for a county to have a fund
balance, they’re required
to or face state takeover, it
is a significant milestone
for Chowan that only three '
years earlier couldn’t pay
its bills and sat on the
brink of bankruptcy after
reckless spending.
Frugal management by
the board of commission
ers has led the county to
bank another $752,000 in
2011 savings, putting its
fund balance at 16 percent
of its general fund.
It was just short of the
commissioners’ goal of 20
percent.
Last year, commission
ers banked $1.8 million, but
this year’s feat comes dur- '
ing a time of less revenue
and rising expenses.
Independent auditors
lauded the board of its
achievement in the face of
such economic adversity